Cant raise levels with Aquaforest 1,2,3.. Help!

[Clownreef]

Hi everyone,

So I switched from two part b-ionic to aqua forest but for the life of me I can't raise levels with this stuff. Ive noticed their ALK liquid is WEAK. I have an 180 gal. Waterbox 5526 with mostly SPS. Im thinking about going to buy a couple of small bottles of B-ionic to raise it..

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Clownreef]

Here's what it looks like..

 

[Phil D.]

I use 1-2-3 and am dosing 130ml a day in my Red Sea E-260 (82g with heavy SPS), and have 480 Ca, 9.1 Alk and 1380 Mg. If you read the instructions, Aquaforest states to dose equal parts of all 3, and make slight adjustments. I am dosing only 2ml a day more of part 2.
I have had no issues and fantastic growth using it. Additionally I use Red Sea Coral Pro salt.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

We need to know what it means that you cannot raise level. What levels and how much did you dose (not mL, but dKH or ppm calcium).

 

[Clownreef]

We need to know what it means that you cannot raise level. What levels and how much did you dose (not mL, but dKH or ppm calcium).

When I switched from two part I kept the same dosing with aqua forest and levels began to drop...

Whats the theory behind dosing the same amount on all three?

 

[blasterman]

Hi everyone,

So I switched from two part b-ionic to aqua forest but for the life of me I can't raise levels with this stuff. Ive noticed their ALK liquid is WEAK. I have an 180 gal. Waterbox 5526 with mostly SPS. Im thinking about going to buy a couple of small bottles of B-ionic to raise it..

Any advice is

When I switched from two part I kept the same dosing with aqua forest and levels began to drop...

Whats the theory behind dosing the same amount on all three?

In a heavy SPS tank Ca, Alk and Mag are typically consumed at a consistent ratio, so if you add them back at a consistent ratio then water params should stay consistent. In the world of reality this doesn't work unless you have a heavy SPS tank and will find your ratio eventually out of whack if you don't have a heavy SPS tank.

Also, there is no industry standard for this stuff and manufacturers can put whatever amount of baking soda and sidewalk de-icer they want in the bottle. That's all it is...calcium chloride (sidewalk de-icer) in one bottle and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in the other. You are basically paying to ship water. Part 3 is magnesium as I recall (not sure if it's chloride or sulfate based) but even in a heavy SPS tank calcium is consumed at a very, very slow rate and can typically be replenished via water changes.

So, just add more of the alk additive to get where you want. Trust your test kits...not what's in the fancy bottle and the marketing brain washing that if you aren't getting perfect params via adding a pre determined ratio then your tank is broke - which it's not.. Big SPS tanks will either be running calcium reactors, or just buying big bags of bulk calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate and mixing it themselves.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

When I switched from two part I kept the same dosing with aqua forest and levels began to drop...

Whats the theory behind dosing the same amount on all three?

Not sure exactly what you are asking in the second sentence, but never assume two different products are the same potency. Use a calculator to determinne how much alk and calcium you were dosing with B-ionic, then match it with a different dose of the aquaforest products.

Reef Chemistry Calculator

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The the parts of the aquaforest 123 are designed for 1:1:1 dosing based on matching how much of each of the main ingredients goes into a typical coral skeleton. The magneisum part is the most uncertain since it varies more depending on what the specific users of the alk and calcium are.

Component 1+ contains: Ca, Sr, Ba, Co, Mn, Cu, Fe, Zn, Ni, Cr. (Component 1+ contains 18 000 ppm Ca. 25 ml dissolved in 100 l/27 US gal raises Ca by 4,5 ppm).

Component 2+ contains: NaHCO3, F, I. (Component 2+ contains 2 500 dkh/l. 25 ml dissolved in 100 l/27 US gal raises KH by 0,65 dKH (Alk: 0,23 meq/l)).

Component 3+ contains: Mg, Reef Mineral Salt, K and B. (Component 3+ contains 3 300 ppm Mg. 25 ml dissolved in 100 l/27 US gal raises Mg by 0,38 ppm).